After the rather strange dance experiment of 2002’s
Modulate, 2005's Body of Song was billed as Bob Mould’s ‘return to rock’. It opens with the reasonably heavy Circles
which has a decent tune, but (Shine Your) Light Love Hope and I Am Vision, I Am
Sound hark back to Modulate with their dance beats and vocodered, auto-tuned to
death vocals. Really quite jarring.
Thankfully the rest of the album improves on this. Underneath Days has a strong guitar riff and real
passion in the vocals along with impassioned rockers like Paralyzed and Best
Thing. Elsewhere, Days of Rain
introduces an ‘adult-oriented’, relaxed, mid-paced sound which really suits Mould,
and it’s replicated on High Fidelity and Missing You. It’s the type of thing Paul Westerberg
manages quite well.
Penultimate track Gauze of Friendship is the most emotional
track, all busted relationships and sepia-described memories, with a fine
guitar solo thrown in for good measure.
The album concludes on a very strong note with the parched, downbeat
rocker Beating Heart The Prize, possibly the most anthemic track here and yet
another blinding guitar solo.
It’s not the most cohesive album Bob Mould has put his name
to but, dance-pop experiments aside, is a good collection of songs.
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